Berks bassist Schuyler Deale to join Billy Joel tribute on Friday at Berks Summer Fest

Jun. 18—The sounds of Richie Cannata & The Billy Joel All-Star Band will fill the ball field at FirstEnergy Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m., the opening night of Berks Arts' new Berks Summer Fest.

The concert is one of three main events on the Supportive Concepts Main Stage at second base; four other concerts will be held at the Plaza Stage in the concourse area. The entire event is free of charge.

Cannata is a saxophonist, keyboardist, studio owner and bandleader who recorded and toured with Billy Joel from 1975 to 1981. He can be heard on Joel's hit song "New York State of Mind." He will be bringing drummer Liberty DeVitto, who played in Joel's band from 1975 to 2006; vocalist/percussionist Crystal Taliefero, who has toured with Joel since 1989; guitarist Chris Jusino, who played in the band for the original Broadway performances of "Movin' Out"; and pianist/vocalist Dan Orlando, who is a member of The Lords of 52nd Street.

Also appearing with the All-Stars will be Berks County resident Schuyler Deale, who performed with Joel in the late '80s, and later with Julian Lennon, Michael Bolton, Jeff Lorber and many others over a career that began in Long Beach, Long Island, when he was 14.

In a far-ranging interview at his home in the Green Hills area, Deale revealed a life full of music and experiences that clearly delighted him to recall. The youngest of five children, he was exposed to all the genres favored by his older siblings: The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and jazz.

"My oldest brother got me hip to Stanley Clarke," he said, "and my other brother had an acoustic guitar that I used to figure things out."

His mother wanted him to learn piano, and even bought an old Steinway. But the money she gave him to pay for lessons at a local music studio soon started to go for slices at the neighboring pizzeria instead.

"I took a few lessons, but I preferred what I was hearing on the radio," he said.

When a friend introduced him to his uncle, "Boon Dog," a bass player, Deale heard what he wanted. As the uncle realized Deale had talent, he taught him some bass lines from the Temptations' "Just My Imagination" and "Tighten Up." It was all Deale needed to start a career that has lasted nearly 50 years and still continues.

Deale was not only good at bass playing; he had the ability to make friends and work well with other musicians. Those skills eliminated the need for an agent as he got offers through his quickly growing network. His first gig was with Primo, a Latin band started at the local Spanish Brotherhood Youth Center, affiliated with SUNY at Old Westbury, a college on Long Island. They opened for The Good Rats, a popular hard-rock band, and played at various clubs.

Deale, also performed with other bands while still in high school. He took some classes at Old Westbury, but when The Good Rats called him to audition and offered him a spot in the band in 1981, he left school for good.

He toured Australia with The Village People, then returned to New York City to play in clubs and sessions. When Primo re-formed, he went on tour with them in Montreal one winter in the late '80s. Their B&B had only one phone, and one day it rang for Deale. He picked up the phone and heard a voice say, "I'm with Billy here and he wants to know if you want to come and play with him."

"I thought it was one of my friends playing a trick, but then he (Billy Joel) got on the phone and said he would send a car to get me when I got back from Montreal," Deale said.

Sure enough, a driver picked him up from Long Beach and took him to Sag Harbor, on the other side of Long Island, where he spent a couple of weeks jamming with Joel. They started with some Hendrix and Zeppelin songs, and then Joel's "The Stranger" and other songs. What Deale didn't realize was that these informal sessions were actually rehearsals for Joel's 1988 tour in Japan with Boz Scaggs, The Hooters and Art Garfunkel.

Deale performed with the band in the 55,000-seat Tokyo Dome, and while he felt under-rehearsed, the concert went well and he went on to record with Joel on "Storm Front" (1989) and "River of Dreams" (1993), Joel's last rock album.

There were too many gigs to remember during that decade and beyond, including a tour with Julian Lennon, which took him to the famous musicians' colony of Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles. There were appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Lennon, and he even played in the PBS children's series "Between the Lions."

As an in-demand bassist for recording sessions, Deale has worked with Heart, Kirk Whalum, Foreigner, Les McCann, Fiona and many other artists.

After Billy Joel's "Storm Front Tour" ended, Deale got a call from singer-songwriter Michael Bolton inviting him to perform with his band on "Saturday Night Live," after which he was part of that band for two decades, including on the albums "Everybody's Crazy" and "Soul Provider." The network was still working.

In 2002, Bolton took a break from touring. Deale then connected with jazz keyboardist/composer/producer Jeff Lorber for a tour that included the 2002 Boscov's Berks Jazz Fest. Deale had "a blast" there, hanging out at Gerald Veasley's Jazz Base in the Crowne Plaza and jamming with local musicians.

His life changed when, at that event, he met Nancy Szortyka, a philanthropist from the family that owns Quaker Maid Meats. An enthusiastic supporter of Berks Jazz Fest, Szortyka and a friend were enjoying the jam, and she and Deale began to talk afterwards. They hit it off, married, and the Deales now share a home that also houses a complete studio where Schuyler can record and mix to his heart's content.

After the 2002 Berks Jazz Fest appearance with Lorber, Deale returned in 2012 with the funky Dean Brown Group that also featured Dennis Chambers and Gary Etkins. In 2014, Deale headlined with an ensemble that featured Brown and Paul Atherton.

Two years ago, he was back as a featured member of Brown's Summer of Love Evolution band that included Eric Marienthal, Honey Larochelle, Chris Rogers, Keith Carlock, Jim Beard, Devon Patterson, Mino Cinelu and The Berks Horns.

Deale is getting ready to release new music this year that he will perform live during the 33rd annual Boscov's Berks Jazz Fest set for April 5-14, 2024.

In 2022, Nancy threw a surprise 60th birthday bash for her husband at the DoubleTree by Hilton Reading, which included a concert by Richie Cannata and his Billy Joel All-Stars. After recovering from the shock of walking into such a gala, Deale was soon jamming along with the band.

Berks Jazz Fest general manager/artistic John Ernesto was one of the guests, and, true to form, told them he wanted them all to come back and play here again.

Now, a year later, his wish has come true, and the same lineup will open the inaugural Berks Summer Fest, re-creating that memorable birthday performance with many songs by Joel, and Taliefero adding "Lady Marmalade" and songs from the Aretha Franklin repertoire.

"We're gonna blow the place out," Cannata said. "It's gonna be an amazing night."

For more information on Berks Summer Fest, including a complete schedule of events, visit www.berksarts.org/summerfest.

If you go

Event: Berks Summer Fest presents Richie Cannata & The Billy Joel All-Star Band

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: FirstEnergy Stadium, 1900 Centre Ave.

Admission: Free

By the way: Berks Summer Fest runs from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday

Web: www.berksarts.org/summerfest